Kudos to Shajahan

I must applaud the state minister for religious affairs, Hossein Shajahan, for taking the stand against the unfair demand of the mullahs to declare the Ahmadias as non-Muslims. What he did showed that the government was not afraid of the clergy and that the mullahs have no real power to determine the fate of any community.

That power lies solely in the supreme hand of Allah, as the minister said so himself. And the fact, that their desire to brand the Ahmadias as "kafir" was thwarted by the government, should serve as a warning to the maulvis not to push their luck.

I should add that, even though this decision of Hossein Shajahan, has somewhat restored the confidence of the Ahmadias in the government of Bangladesh, what the Ahmadias really need is to feel secure within the boundaries of their mosques.

That is where they will know that nobody can encroach upon their right to worship; that nobody can threaten to burn their mosques.

Praying with police protection means that there is still some unfinished business left. The anti-Ahmadia movement has obstinately vowed to carry on with their intentions and Shajahan's statement was not able to silence them.

But I hope that the Ahmadias will always have the support of their government and that they will never have any fear of being given away to the demands of the mullahs.